Communication attitude of Kannada-speaking adults who do and do not stutter

Expectations from stuttering therapy: Qualitative content analysis of client's perspective in Kannada-speaking adults who stutter

PURPOSE

The current study was carried out to explore clients' expectations from stuttering therapy using the qualitative content method in the Indian context.

METHOD

Twenty-one Kannada-speaking adults who stutter between the age range of 18-33 years participated in the study. The procedure involved three phases, including the formulation of semi-structured interview questions, data collection and analysis. Inductive content analysis was used to determine the categories and sub-categories arising from the participants verbatim. The frequency count of emerging sub-categories was completed, and the data was interpreted.

RESULTS

The overall analysis of the data obtained from 21 participants generated three categories under the theme of expectations from speech therapy. The categories generated included beliefs and understanding of stuttering, stuttering and related behaviours, and goals and outcome of therapy.

CONCLUSION

Selecting personalised goals and techniques during therapy is necessary to improve client satisfaction. This study helps clinicians to understand the anticipatory beliefs of Kannada-speaking adults who stutter and educate them about achievable and realistic goals, leading to shared decision-making to ensure better quality of life and satisfaction in everyday speaking situations.

Adaptation and Validation of Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults in Kannada (OASES-A-K)

INTRODUCTION

Psychosocial aspects of stuttering may affect the quality of life of a person who stutters (PWS). Further, the social stigma and experiences of PWS may vary globally. The WHO-ICF guidelines recommend quality of life as an essential component in the assessment of individuals who stutter. However, the availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate tools is often a challenge. Thus, the current study adapted and validated the OASES-A for Kannada-speaking adults who stutter.

METHOD

The original English version of OASES-A was adapted to Kannada using a standard reverse translation process. The adapted version was administered on 51 Kannada-speaking adults with very mild to very severe stuttering. The data were analyzed for item characteristics, reliability, and validity assessment.

RESULTS

The results revealed floor and ceiling effects for six and two items, respectively. The mean overall impact score indicated a moderate impact of stuttering. Further, the impact score for section II was relatively higher when compared to the data from other countries. The reliability and validity analyses showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability for OASES-A-K.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the current research suggest that OASES-A-K is a sensitive and reliable tool to assess the impact of stuttering in Kannada-speaking PWS. The findings also highlight cross-cultural differences and the need for research in this direction.